Abstract
The RNA polymerase II (Pol II) elongation factor (ELL) was the first translocation partner of mixed lineage leukaemia (MLL) for which a biochemical function was determined. It was therefore proposed that the regulation of the elongation stage of transcription could be fundamental to MLL-based leukaemogenesis. Recent studies have identified ELL complexed with several of the translocation partners of MLL in a transcriptional super elongation complex (SEC). These studies provide evidence for the importance of the regulation of Pol II elongation in disease pathogenesis and suggest that MLL chimaeras function by licensing Pol II transcription elongation without the appropriate checkpoints.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 721-728 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Nature Reviews Cancer |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2010 |
Funding
The authors would like to thank E. Smith, A. Gamis and E. Park for conversations, suggestions and critical reading of the manuscript. They also thank L. Shilatifard for editorial assistance. C.L. is a graduate student registered with the Open University. The studies in the Shilatifard laboratory are supported in part by grants from Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to E.G. and from the US National Institute of Health grants R01GM069905, R01CA150265 and R01CA89455 to A.S.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Cancer Research
